Had a decent break over the summer though. I thought that would rejuvenate him. Seems to have had the opposite effect.
Although it does fit with Fergie's comments about him needing to play football to be at his best.
10
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 41
- Goals
- 15
- Assists
- 6
- Yellow cards
- 5
- Status
Had a decent break over the summer though. I thought that would rejuvenate him. Seems to have had the opposite effect.
Although it does fit with Fergie's comments about him needing to play football to be at his best.
How is that acceptable, you turn up to work for the next month and be really poor at your job, then when your boss pulls you up on it try "Ill be better in a month or two" as an excuse and see what happens.
No player should be undroppable, and the team should be picked on form, nothing else.
This isn't normal work though. This is football.
It's not like I'm telling you you work perfect on Friday and become shite on Monday. You've got a 3 month layoff and a bit of rust.
I'd be quite worried about Rooney.
Even Yaya is starting the season well and we all know he probably ate cake and slept through his holidays.
Are you comparing a job where form & fitness are major factors, over a standard 9-5
Think he'll start scoring these next few. All the criticism and focus is on his form right now, and he has often responded to criticism well. Also home games to Brugges and Newcastle you'd expect the striker to score a few. Here's hoping he gets his confidence back. No player can go from looking like complete shit to world class like Rooney, and he always goes on these runs every season where everything is off. He's only 29, so I'd say any talk of him being done is premature to say the least, but let's hope he gets back into form and has a consistent season, because we'll definitely need it.
I've backed Rooney in these situations before but it gets to a point where you've got to ask whether this is acceptable or not. He is our supposed star player, untouchable according to Van Gaal. Yet he goes through these periods where you genuinely wonder whether he is completely finished as a top level footballer. And these blips aren't always just a one or two game problem. Then when he does hit top form, he's still not producing absolute world class performances like other top players around Europe. For me, he's a total enigma these days.
Ronaldo has played more career games than Rooney.
Rooney's problem is not physical it's psychological. As soon as he scores he'll relax and start smashing goals in.
Let's not chalk up an admittedly terrible performance to problems that don't exist. Rooney is not burned out, he's just in one of his slumps.
If Rooney had even half of the dedication Ronaldo has to staying in top shape, maybe you could make that comparison.
Glad Rooney got the criticism from some of the press today - he usually likes to prove people wrong so I'm hoping that helps with Brugges and Newcastle. Also don't think he's completely safe with LVG. Louis will give him a fair chance to get his form up and his confidence going. If he continues like this though - I can see LVG dropping him because he would have no choice. Never mind what LVG says about 'the captain always plays' - what I suspect he means is the captain will always play provided he's helping and not hindering the team. The moment LVG thinks otherwise, that will be Rooney done imo.
Rooney is more clever than you think.....
he knows we are short of goals up top and he's sacrificed himself, playing badly on purpose to convince us to bring in Pedro....
the White Pele has you all fooled!
he knows we are short of goals up top and he's sacrificed himself, playing badly on purpose to convince us to bring in Pedro....
the White Pele has you all fooled!
I have?
Yes Wayne
At least the critisism became widespread very quickly, so LVG will be forced to do something about it if Rooney stays shite.
Yep. At least Rooney had the decency to show his ability while the transfer window is still open
Play him behind the striker.
Cue hordes of feckwits crying...something.
Cue hordes of feckwits crying...something.
The reason why I described all those factors in the second paragraph is because it's precisely what he's showing at the moment; crap control, reactions, speed of though, passing.
Why should Rooney be afforded the time to get back into form at the expense of the team? No other player gets preferential treatment like he does. You either perform or you get benched and that's what needs to happen with him.
Im comparing a job where you get paid a kings ransom yet constantly get excuses made for not being able to do the most basic of things.Being able to pass the ball five yards to someone in the same colored shirt or control a ball are feck all to do with form, its a basic fundamental of the job. Its like me turning up and forgetting how to turn my pc on or use a pen.Are you comparing a job where form & fitness are major factors, over a standard 9-5
People don't seem to realise this.
Falcao and RVP played loads of games last season despite being horribly out of form. Basically, the only way to play your way into form is to push through a slump. This is a really silly argument, this isn't even close to being preferential treatment.
Anyone who's played any sport, ever, knows that on a very bad day even the fundamentals go to shite. That's no less true for a pub footballer who kicks air instead of the ball than it is for elite PL footballers who let a pass roll under their foot.
While that is true it does seem like Rooney's bottom level is a bit worse than other elite players. It also seem to occur more often, sadly. That said, I still think he can find his feet and do a decent job this season.
Not necessarily. When you're out of form, and your confidence is shot, you do the basics i.e the absolute minimum and rebuild from there. I'm not saying I'm a footballer to any high level, but playing for my uni team, one my worst days as a midfielder, I'd then just do the basics and do nothing else. Rooney seems incapable of even doing the basics. Even when I used to play cricket and my batting was shot (Middlesex U15s represent), I'd force myself to be able to defend well and play with soft hands and a full blade. It's the absolute minimum, if you can't guarantee yourself that, don't get on the pitch. Rooney against Villa did nothing. It was an abysmal, shambolic performance.
The problem now is that Rooney's top level isn't worth waiting for. If he was going through patches of poor form interspersed with Messi, Ronaldo, Aguero type performances then fair enough, but he isn't capable of it any more.
Comparing the two is just plain silly. Doing something incredibly technical that 99.9% of the population can't do isn't in anyway akin to turning on a computer.
But in your world, carry on...
That's the theory. In practice it's very difficult to play so conservatively, if you're used to everything coming naturally.
I know it sounds silly. But if you look at how long Rooney's slump has gone on for, and his famous track record for taking a long time to come good with a decent performance, we really should be on the move for a more consistent performer. No other top striker takes that long to get into form.
And thats why he is paid more than 99% of the population, if he cant do what the job entails he should be dropped until he can.
lol what? I don't see any other player in the top flight who is supposed to be in Rooney's class play like a pub player as often as Rooney does.
Well he has two matches this week to prove he is still top striker. Give him chance against Brugge and Newcastle but if he doesn't deliver in this two matches, against arguably not the best teams we will play this season, then we can start to doubt about his ability.
And just for a comparison, Diego Costa didn't looked any better than Rooney in his last two matches....
And just for a comparison, Diego Costa didn't looked any better than Rooney in his last two matches....
Where shall I look for how long his slump has gone on for? This is your point to make, not mine. Show me this fabled slump. I think Van Gaal's comment was absolutely spot on, the media howled for him to be selected as a striker and then after two games they are saying he should be dropped.
Again my entire argument is still encompassed by the fact that Rooney has never played this type of hold up striker role in a possession system, I still maintain that if you turn the wingers back out and give them free reign and take away their defensive opportunities we will get much better real estate in the opposition third. Two touches in two games in the box, I am not exactly sure how to quantify that without taking into account that no ball is reaching him. Both equations have little to do with his all round game, I mean he can't get the ball and try to run into the box every time? I have no idea how he is supposed to spin gold from cow dung here.
Speechless
Yeah, that's not what I said. Re-read my post.
Agree with this. His in form games these last couple of years aren't of the highest quality and simply cannot justify his selection when he's slumping like this.
This conversation is going the Falcao way
People who believe that this is a slump in form after playing all around the field in last few seasons and that he could be good with consistent games as striker
People who believe that he is beyond repair and gone for good.
As of now, I still think he is capable of a good season (not Aguero type of season though) if played up front more often.
People who believe that this is a slump in form after playing all around the field in last few seasons and that he could be good with consistent games as striker
People who believe that he is beyond repair and gone for good.
As of now, I still think he is capable of a good season (not Aguero type of season though) if played up front more often.
Really no point in keeping Chico because the only time he'll get any minutes is if Rooney is injured or suspended - as he is undroppable and apparently unsubbable now however badly he plays
Sorry Pogue, was in a hurry and couldn't type much. What I was trying to get across is that shouldn't pro players have a far higher minimum standard? I know they have off days when they struggle but you don't see any other player mishit passes and miscontrol balls as much as he does in a single game for a stretch of time.
2nd game in lads
As mentioned repeatedly through this thread this is about more than those two games and the preseason. His poor performances span much longer than that.
- Status